Attorneys for Eric Bolling have sent a summons to a HuffPost reporter who wrote a story that led to Bolling’s suspension from Fox News.
Yashar Ali tweeted around 5:15 Wednesday afternoon that he’d heard from Bolling’s attorneys, Michael Bowe and Ronald Rossi of the lawfirm of Kasowitz Benson Torres.
Just received a summons. Eric Bolling is suing me for defamation – $50 million in damages. I stand by my reporting + will protect my sources
Advertisement— Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 9, 2017
“The nature of this action is for damages and injunctive relief based on defamation arising form the defendant’s efforts to injure the plaintiff’s reputation through the intentional and/or highly reckless publication of actionable false and misleading statements about the plaintiff’s conduct and character,” the lawsuit reads. “As a result of the defendant’s actions, the plaintiff has been substantially harmed.”
Fox News suspended Bolling Saturday following Ali’s story Friday night in which he reported that Bolling had sent unsolicited texts of pictures of male genitalia to at least two Fox News colleagues several years ago. Fox News has launched its own investigation into the allegations.
“It’s important to note that Bolling’s summons does not include HuffPost – he is coming after me personally,” Ali wrote on Twitter. “I’m a big boy…but very telling.”
HuffPost EIC Lydia Polgreen is standing by Ali.
Yashar Ali is a paid freelancer under contract with HuffPost. We have no hesitation about standing by him financially in this case.
— Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) August 9, 2017